Abstract 287: Association of Primary Payer Status and In-Hospital Mortality After Heart Transplant: A Nationwide Inpatient Sample Study

Abstract

Background: Medicaid enrollment and expenditures are projected to increase sharply with the Affordable Care Act’s eligibility expansions. However, the impact of these changes on outcomes after heart transplant procedure has not been studied before. The aim of this study was to analyze the relationship between payment source and outcomes following heart transplant in a national database. Methods: We used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) to evaluate patients who obtained a heart transplant (ICD 9 procedure codes 37.51). Discharge weights were used to obtain nationwide estimates. A total of 2,329 heart transplant procedures were identified in the NIS database, corresponding to an estimated 11,536 nationwide heart transplant procedures between 2005 and 2010. Patients were stratified on the basis of payer status: Medicare (30%), Medicaid (17%), private insurance (52%), and uninsured (1.5%). Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the effect of primary payer status on in-hospital mortality. Results: Patients had a mean age of 47 (±19) years, 26% were women and 55% were whites. Among insured patients, compared with private insurance, a higher unadjusted in-hospital mortality rate was found among patients with Medicare (4.3% vs. 6.4%; OR, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.31-1.89; P <0.001), and Medicaid (5.3%; OR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.03-1.63; P=0.028). After controlling for patient demographics, comorbidities, income, hospital features and hospital region, Medicaid (OR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.09-1.83; P=0.009) and Medicare (OR, 1.60; 95% CI, 1.31-1.96; P<0.0001) payer status were independently associated with higher in-hospital mortality. Length of stay was longest for Medicaid patients (48 ± 52 days) and shortest for Medicare patients (33 ± 38 days, P <0.001). Medicaid patients also accrued the highest unadjusted hospital charges (USD 518,233 ± 314,717, P <0.001). Conclusion: In this national study of hospitalized patients undergoing heart transplant, uninsured payer status was rare. Medicaid or Medicare payer status was associated with increased risk adjusted in-hospital mortality, while Medicaid payer status was also associated with increased length of stay and increased hospital charges. Further prospective studies are needed to elucidate factors that are responsible for such disparities in outcomes by payer status.